The wings of fixed-wing aircraft are necessarily large, and their size makes it difficult to move and store a fixed-wing aircraft when it is not in flight. Accordingly, many designs have been previously proposed for reducing the space occupied by aircraft wings when the aircraft is not in flight. These designs have been proposed both for conventional fixed-wing aircraft as well as so-called roadable aircraft. Generally stated, roadable aircraft are aircraft that may be converted for surface travel upon a roadway.
Telescopic wing designs have previously proposed for reducing the space occupied by the wings of an aircraft when it is not in flight. In telescopic wing designs, at least one portion of the wing retracts longitudinally into an adjacent portion of the wing. Because the space that wing portions occupy when retracted cannot be obstructed, structural features that would typically be used to add rigidity to the wing, such as internal stiffening ribs, cannot be provided within this space.